Fleck is showing team video clips from the Miracle on Ice and other big upsets

WorkingMyTailOff said:

I’m not sure if many Vikings players have watched Miracle.
Sounds like I need need to watch this Diggins gold medal race. What made it so special?

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You can start with the fact that is the first medal of any kind the U.S. women cross country team ever won. The U.S. men have only one silver medal back in 1976. The race was a two-person team event around a hilly, 1.25 km course. Each racer on the team takes turns going around the course three times in an all out sprint. Jessie Diggins is from Afton and graduated from Stillwater High. Korea was her 2nd Olympics. She skied the anchor leg. Her teammate was Kikkan Randall from Alaska and she was in her 5th Olympics. She skied the first leg.

Their main competitors were from Norway and Sweden, the two most dominant countries in cross country skiing. The team from Norway had the greatest female cross country skier of all time skiing the first leg and the reigning World sprint champion skiing the anchor leg. The Swedish team had the reigning Olympic skiathlon champion skiing the first leg and the reigning Olympic sprint champion doing the anchor leg.

This is the best video to watch:

Thank you. I remember hearing about it when it happened but missed the replay and never knew that it was a major upset. I just knew that she was local.

WorkingMyTailOff said:

Thank you. I remember hearing about it when it happened but missed the replay and never knew that it was a major upset. I just knew that she was local.

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I didn't have the video when I made my previous post, but it is there now. You should take a look at it if you haven't already watched it. The announcer who was going crazy is from Duluth and was the cross country ski coach at St. Scholastica awhile back. I think he has a different job at the school now. This was the fourth Olympics where he was NBC's primary Nordic skiing commentator. He also did all the biathlon races. Diggan's personal coach and wax technician at the Olympics also lives in Duluth.

Cool! Watched the finish and it was high drama!